The Blog

Draft TIP 2014 – 2018 (Transportation Improvement Program) consists of all federally funded roadways, transit and major transportation projects being presented within Erie and Niagara Counties over the next five years. There is considerable difference between the current TIP Draft and the past TIP 2011 – 2015. The extreme differences between the two are the amount of monies available and the percentage of resources used toward preservation projects. These extremities will continue to increase due to the lack of available resources.

Metropolitan Planning Organizations such as the GBNRTC, place infrastructure projects in two different categories. Depending on the condition of roadways, bridges and pedestrian infrastructure, projects are categorized either as “preservation” or “beyond preservation”. Simply put, the purpose of preservation projects is to maintain and repair existing infrastructure. These projects preserve the functionality of an existing system. On the other hand, beyond preservation projects are typically extensive and more costly. These projects consist of extensive construction such as road widening and complete structural makeovers. Due to continuing limited transportation funding, 85% of available resources are being used for preservation projects. In past TIP 2011 – 2015, preservation projects utilized 45% of the available funding. Clearly, there is a depreciation of funds towards infrastructure resulting in a statewide movement toward preservation projects.

With the decline of available resources, time has come that the state base decisions on “preserve what we have” rather than the “build new” approach. To ensure that the state makes fiscally conservative decisions, they have identified four guiding principles to meet customer needs; Preservation First, Systems Not Projects, Maximize Return on Investment, and Make It Sustainable.  A common theme integrated into these four principles and inherent in all of their investment decisions is stewardship of safety as well cautious spending. By adhering to these principles, they strive to keep the system safe while maximizing the life of existing infrastructure while working to improve livability and promote economic development within context of limited financial resources. These principles have been set in place to stretch every dollar in hopes new sources of money will arrive in the future. MPOs and its member agencies will use the available resources to the best of their abilities.

MPO members distribute dollars from the federal gas tax to a variety of needed transportation related projects. Since 1993, the federal gas tax has not increased; gasoline use has decreased and the cost of road repair has risen faster than prices in general. These factors have compromised the balance between funding and the needed spending toward projects. Considering the lack of resources, NYS will continue to invest in current infrastructure rather than creating new. Preservation projects make sense during this tough economic time. However, a good or bad economy will not change how funding is obtained. The GBNRTC as with other MPOs must find creative ways to fund transportation projects. Planning for new projects and maintaining current infrastructure is necessary for a prosperous future. Might it be resolved at the federal level, state and local level, or even within the private sector, supplemental sources of funding must be obtained.

To uphold the functionality of the current transportation system in a safe and reliable manner and while recognizing fiscal constraints, it is essential to follow a deliberate and strategic approach to best manage assets. With a decrease in available funding, NYS will invest more in preservation projects rather than beyond preservation projects. Nevertheless, these fiscal constraints will continue to become worse. Bearing in mind how infrastructure is currently funded, it is likely that funding will continue to decrease. Clearly, the gas tax is an unreliable collection and supplemental sources need to be developed.

Visit the GBNRTC Interactive TIP 2014 – 2018 Projects Map

The map provides TIP site location, a brief description, and project cost

http://gbnrtc.org/projects/transportation-improvement-program/tip_projects_map/

Come to the Public Meeting

Review & Comment on Draft TIP 2014 – 2018

April 18, 5:30 to 7:30 pm

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library – Buffalo, NY

I’m not known for my green thumb, but that hasn’t deterred me from trying to become a gardener. However, the world of gardening can be confusing for a beginner. While researching types of plants and flowers to try out this summer, I was stumbling over a couple terms that I thought would be helpful to define. So, fellow novice gardeners gather round and take note:

Annuals—Just like many other things that happen annually, an annual plant lives for one year. The entire life cycle (planting the seed, sprouting the roots, flowering, etc.) happens in a single season, and the only way to get this plant to bloom again is to replant its seeds. If the plant drops its seeds in the ground where it was grown, it may bloom here again next season.

Biennials—While an annual needs one year to go through its entire life cycle, a biennial needs two years to complete its entire lifecycle. Usually the plant will grow and establish itself during its first growing season, and then bloom and drop seeds in its second growing season.

Perennials—A perennial is a plant that lives for many years. While the top half of the plant may die at the end of a growing season, the roots stay alive and regenerate the top half of the plant for the next growing season.

What other gardening terms have left you scratching your head? Tell us in our comment section below.

What is d2ls?

Designing to Live Sustainably (d2ls), a non-profit group of community change leaders holding a uniquely highly inclusive design competition and celebration of all the designs submitted in two upcoming events. This innovative competition is open to anyone with a vision of how to help make Buffalo more sustainable. The competition welcomes participants to collectively improve the city through radical collaboration. It is our feeling that the essential and fundamental change required to live sustainably can only emerge through a conversation. D2LS is opening this dialogue.

D2LS seeks designs from every demographic and discipline to be catalysts in driving this conversation. From interiors and new or adaptive re-use built environment to landscape and site plans. From all school levels through university students to professionals and block clubs.  From those who have only a great box of crayons to those with sophisticated design software. From hypothetical to real and specific sites, we welcome them all.

To be sure everyone who wants to share their vision knows that it can easily be shared on a presentation board, for those not familiar with them we have a power point available on our website (www.d2lsbuffalo.com) that shows how to do one.

Registration to submit a design is open until April 18^th, and the designs are due by May 3^rd.  There are 11 organizations offering an award for a design that best responds to its mission and as expressed under AWARDS in the website.

On May 18^th, every one of the 2013 responses to our outreach will be displayed at the CEPA Gallery on Main St. in a celebration of creativity at:

Imagine Buffalo

a conversation about Buffalo leapfrogging overbuilt cities

The event, from 6:00 to 9:00, will be just the start of the conversation, kicking-off what we are committed to doing, as our mission statement says, “to inspire the public and private sectors to start a dialogue on how developing sustainability in Buffalo will create long term environmental, social, cultural, and economic benefits, and empower youth to reclaim our Queen City.”

The celebration will have some acoustic music, participatory activities, and a lot of opportunity to share thinking about the designs that are hanging and audience thinking about sustainability in general. There will be a chance to vote for a People’s Choice award and win some door prizes. Awards will be presented at 8:00.

What happens to the competition submissions after the competition is over?

The award winning designs and those selected for their diversity of thinking and presentation will be displayed at the Music Is Art Festival this summer.  All others will be returned to their designers after they come down at CEPA.  They will also be formatted into an electronic slide show and made available on our website.

Why is this type of design competition important? How will it impact Buffalo?

The Designing to Live Sustainably competition is important because it starts a new paradigm of never before offered opportunity for everyone with an idea about what they would like to see Buffalo become to share that vision. Although there are awards, no design will go unacknowledged and not displayed. Even if it is not an award winner, it will help drive the thinking about living sustainably in Buffalo. Other competitions are for a narrower focus of disciplines, or specifically, for example, students only, professionals only.

Having just returned from a visit to the old campus at Western Washington University where I taught Environmental Studies, and “Sustainable Seattle”, it is clearer than ever that Buffalo, and the Buffalo-Niagara Region, is poised to leapfrog overbuilt cities surrounded by an overdeveloped region, to sustainability. We, as a community can make that happen. So, we aim to get the community to see its potential for leapfrogging, and expect to start collecting ideas for the 2014 version on May 18^th, and at the Music Is Art Festival.